Blue Water Autonomy has officially stepped into the spotlight. The Boston-based startup, focused on building autonomous ships for the U.S. Navy, has secured $14 million in seed funding. Investors in the round include Eclipse, Riot, and Impatient Ventures.
Founded in 2024, the company is on a mission to deliver unmanned, AI-powered ships that can handle critical tasks at sea—without a single crew member on board. This new funding will help the team expand quickly. They’ll grow their engineering staff, ramp up ship testing, and integrate new payloads onto their platform.
Blue Water Autonomy was launched by veterans of Amazon Robotics, iRobot, and the Navy itself. In under a year, they built a complete autonomy system, began saltwater testing, and designed their first prototype ships.
As tensions rise globally—especially in the Pacific and Red Sea—the need for rapid innovation in defense has become urgent. Traditional shipbuilding can’t keep up with the pace of threats. By creating scalable, low-cost autonomous vessels, the Navy can extend its reach and respond faster than ever before.
Co-founder and CEO Rylan Hamilton says the company is addressing a gap that’s long overdue for disruption. He believes sea power has always been key to U.S. security—and that now is the time to reinvent how it’s delivered. According to him, helping the Navy stay ahead means pushing bold ideas forward, not settling for slow progress.
Hamilton previously co-founded 6 River Systems, which was acquired by Shopify. He and his team have deployed millions of robots in commercial settings. Now, they’re bringing that experience to national defense.
Their goal? Deliver innovation the Navy can use immediately—then expand into commercial markets like cargo shipping, offshore energy, and luxury sea travel. These sectors could benefit from the same autonomy tech once it proves itself in defense.
For investors like Eclipse, the vision is clear. Partner Seth Winterroth emphasized that autonomous ships are not just a nice-to-have—they’re a necessity. He said Blue Water Autonomy is the only startup solving this challenge at the ship level, and that its team has both the technical depth and military insight to make it work.
The Navy is preparing for a future that mixes crewed vessels with unmanned ones. Autonomous ships will soon work alongside destroyers, carriers, and subs. Blue Water’s platform could play a key role in that transformation—one that may also redefine the future of global shipping.
